belaire



Patentgd Nov. 8, I898.

Nu. mass."

A. BELAIRE.

SHOE. (Application filed Aug. 27, 1896,)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

m: uonms wzrzns coy. PNOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON n. c.

Patented Nov. 8, I898.

A. BELAIBE:

V SHOE. (Application filed Aug. 27, 189 6.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

( No Model.)

1 fizz/au o)" e/Z HE Noam: PEYERS ra. FHOT UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED BELAIRE, on NORTH ADAMS,MASSAGHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JOSEPH T. YON AND NELSON YON, or SAME PLACE.

'sincirIcA'rioN forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,958, dated November 8, 1898.

Application filed August 27, 1896. Serial No. 604,093. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED BELAIRE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at North Adams, in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in shoes made from shoe blanks or patterns such as shown in the Letters Patent, No. 554,229, granted to me February 11, 1896, assignor to Joseph T. You and Nelson Yon, and is an improvement thereon.

The objects of my present invention are to improve the shoe blank or pattern by facilitating the production of a neat, smooth, and unbroken finish at the back of the shoe; to strengthen the construction at the back of the shoe by bringing the edges of the incised or slitted portion together and stitching them together, overlaying the tongue upon said seam, and stitching the latter to the upper at opposite sides of said seam; to strengthen the construction at the base of the tongue by making the incisions or slits at that point in straight diverging lines, and, further, to avoid the presence of projecting shoulders at the inside of the upper, which would otherwise be formed by the edges of the leather at the lower portion of the incisions or slits, by securing a filling-piece therein.

The blank or pattern constituting the subject-matter of the Letters Patent referred to is made in a single piece with a toe part, an instep, a back, and a tongue, the latter being formed by cutting the'blank on curved lines and the edges thereof being subsequently overlaid upon and sewed to the edges of the severed parts. In this construction the edges of the slitted portions are not brought together and stitched together behind the tongue piece.

According to my present invention the edges of the incised or slitted parts are first brought together and sewed together behind the tongue or stay piece and then the latter is laid over the seam thus formed and at its edges is sewed to the upper at opposite sides of said seam. This improved construction insures a neat fit of the back of the shoe and at the same time conceals the back seam and cured by stitches.

stays or reinforces the same, making a ver strong construction of the shoe at the reai I prefer that the lower extremities of the incisions or slits shall extend in rectilinear diverging lines rather than in the curvilinear diverging lines shown in my prior Letters Patent above mentioned, as I consider that this somewhat strengthens the upper at the base of the tongue or stay piece, since it leaves a greater body of material between the incisions. I do not, however, wish to confine myself to the rectilinear diverging form of the incisions, as said incisions may within the scope of my invention diverge in curved or other equivalent lines.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of the shoe blank or pattern. Fig. 2 is a perspective View showing the edges of the blank produced by slitting the leather drawn together and united with the tongue or stay piece, indicated in dotted lines, and se Fig. 3 is a broken plan view showing the filling-piece inserted into the V-shaped space at the base of the slitted portion for the purpose of producing a neat, smooth, and unbroken finish at this point. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a complete shoe embodying my invention. Fig. 5 is a detail transverse sectional View taken on the line 5 5,'Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6 6, Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the filling-piece.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to Fig.-

1 of the drawings, wherein it will be observed that the shoe blank or pattern is formed of a single piece and comprises the toe parts 1, the instep 2, and the back 3.0f the upper. The toe parts may be shaped as shownin Fig. 1 of the drawings, or they may be shaped as shown in the modification disclosed in my patent before mentioned.

As shown, the center of the blank or pattern is provided with two rectilinear incisions or slits 4:, diverging toward the bottom of the lower edge of the blank or pattern and which in the first instance extend continuously in right lines to the top edge of the same. After the rectilinear incisions are formed or simultaneous with their formation the edges 7 of the upper are cut or incised on curved lines, forming openings or vents on opposite sides of the stay, leaving, however, the incisions or slits 4, running in rectilinear divergent lines. This method of cutting or slitting the leather produces an integral tongue-piece 8, which is gradually diminished in width from its base portion to its top edge and is provided with rectilinear edges 9, forming continuations of the edges of the tongue-piece, produced by forming the incisions or slits 4. The ton gue-piece 8 serves to constitute a reinforcing-backstay in the completed shoe, as shown in Fig. 4 and as will be hereinafter explained in detail.

In the manufacture of the shoe the blank or pattern is first formed from leather or other desired material, the incisionsor slits being formed at the same time or subsequently. The edges 7 of the upper, produced by the incisions or slits, are then brought together and united by stitches, forming a vertical sewed seam at the rear of the upper, thus securing the required curve to accurately and neatly fit the rear of the ankle. The edges 9 of the tongue 8 are then sewed to the upper along the rectilinear lines 10, thereby producing a shoe having the tongue-piece 8 secured over the sewed edges of the slit part of the upperandeonstitutingareinforcing-backstay to the seam. The central seam is thus concealed and the construction of the back of the shoe greatly strengthened.

It will be observed that, as shown, the incisions or slits 4 at the base portion of the tongue-piece extend in rectilinear lines instead of reverse-curved lines, as in my patent before referred to. I consider that the straight-line cuts secure greater strength, and, furthermore, that they render the stitching of the tongue-piece more convenient and expeditious, in that the stitching can be run on rectilinear lines instead of on tortuous or curved lines, as in the prior method of manufacturing. As stated before, however, I do not confine my invention to the rectilinear form of diverging lines.

The cutting out of the edges of the upper on the lines 7 enables the ankle portion of the blank or pattern to be contracted the desired extent without increasing the width of the tongue-piece 8, for, obviously, the method of forming the tongue-piece with rectilinear side edges enables it to be made comparatively narrow, while the upper can be cut out to any required extent on the line 7 to secure the necessary contraction of the ankle portion of the blank or pattern in the manufacture of the shoe.

\Vhen the edges 7 of the upper, formed by the incisions or slits, are drawn together and united by stitching, the divergent edges of the upper, formed by the slits 4, are caused to assume the position shown in Fig. 2, so that a V-shaped space is produced. This leaves the divergent edges lying at the inner side of the tongue-piece, so that they present shoulders of greater or less projection. To pro-' duce a neat, smooth, and unbroken finish at this point, I introduce into the V-shapcd space referred to a V-shaped filling-piece 12, having its inclined edges abutting the inclined edges 13, Figs. 2 and 3, of the upper. The filling-piece is preferably composed of a strip of leather, and it may be of greater or less length, so that when in position it will extend along the inside of the upper to any extent required. This filling-piece is shown in Fig. 3 as extending to a point near the lower edge of the upper; but I wish it understood that it may be terminated at some distance from the lower edge. I prefer to bevel or skive off the edges of the fillingpiece at points below the V-shaped end thereof, as indicated by the numerals 14, so that While the V-shaped part of the filling-piece fills the V-shaped space referred to the part of the filling-piece below the V-shaped space will not present at its edges any appreciable projecting shoulders.

The filling-piece is preferably secured in position by cementing it to the upper; but,

if desired, it may be stitched in place, either or both. The filling-piece is desirable and useful, in that it fills up the V-shaped gap or space at the base of the slit portion and secures a smooth unbroken finish at this point.

By first cutting the blank on straight lines and then cutting out the upper on the curved lines 7, leaving, however, the two divergent incisions or slits 4, it is possible to practicably sew together the edges formed by slitting the back and to reduce the width of the tongue over the width necessary in the prior construction and secure a neat, smooth, and attractive finish.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A shoe made from a blank or pattern having at the back of the upper incisions or slits forming a reinforcing tongue or stay piece, the lower portion of the incisions ex tending in divergent lines, and sewed together at the rear to form a seam, said staypiece extending over the sewed seam and stitched to the upper at opposite sides of the said seam, as and for the purpose described.

2. A shoe made from a blank or pattern having at the back of the upper incisions or slits forming a reinforcing tongue-piece 8, the lower portions of the incisions extending in rectilinear divergent lines, as at 4, and sewed together at the rear to form a seam and to produce a V-shaped gap or space at the base of the tongue-piece, said tonguepiece extending over said sewed seam and stitched to the upper at opposite sides of said seam, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. As an improved article of manufacture, a shoe made from a blank having at the center of its back the curved edges 7 brought together and united by stitches to form a back scam, the rectilinear divergent slits 4, and

'1 5 an integral tapering stay and openings or vents upon oppositesides of the stay, and having diverging slits extending from the lower ends of the openings, the edges of the material bordering upon the openings being drawn together and stitched, and the stay overlapping the seam thus provided and stitched to the material upon opposite sides a of the back seam.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALFRED BELAIRE. Witnesses:

HOWARD D. VINCENT, HENRY S. MILLER. 

